The thing is, I don't even think they need to promote events any more. The series have set up an expectation that when there's fire, Firehouse 51 will be on the scene and when a cop is needed, we can expect someone from Precinct 21 to take the call.

I love the world that has been created and sincerely hope there is no intent to stop the intermingling of the series.

With guest stars such as Dylan Baker (earlier this week he was involved with taking a life on The Good Wife, here he's saving them) and Amanda Righetti and their characters forming connections to both the Fire and PD worlds, it's hard not to wonder if we aren't getting a glimpse of Chicago M.D. or Chicago Hospital.

When Casey and Dawson are helping out a big 10K race, Burgess is volunteering in the same tent. Just moments after Dawson enters the hospital to register for the race, it explodes, leaving behind a hole that is eerily reminiscent of the Oklahoma City bombing. I can remember exactly where I was on that day, and it was all the more terrifying because my sister was an FBI agent. Your world squeezes down in perspective when tragedy hits.

Casey maintained his wits and was allowed to carry on his duties despite his personal relationship with Dawson. He and Severide shed their gear and headed into the debris. Mills and Cruz were searching for another bomb. Hermann was celebrating his first day as lead Lieutenant by bringing levity into a horrible situation as he tried to calm down a victim. Everyone was on their A-game.

Burgess' niece was injured in the blast and needed surgery, but Burgess couldn't reach her sister. This was my biggest bone of contention to the hour. There was no way Burgess squirreled her niece away, so her sister had to know when she heard of the blast that there was a possibility they were affected. What kind of parents (and grandparents) don't answer their phones on days like those? I hope there's an explanation on Chicago P.D.

Dr. Arata didn't have time to mess around, and he was killing it with his attitude.

Dr. Arata: Your niece has a crushed liver. If she doesn't have immediate surgery, she's going to bleed out. Do you have the authority to give consent?Burgess: Consent? I don't know...Dr. Arata: That's good enough for me.

Later, Atwater showed up to lend Burgess support, but he didn't really know what to do other than watch her cry as Arata told her the liver he wanted to use had gone bad.

Shay was walking near the blast and was hit by some rubble. It knocked her into some exposed rebar and OMG -- she had the nastiest puncture wound. Knowing Dawson was missing, she couldn't take herself off the job, so she patched her self up with some gauze and tape and went about her business.

Within no time she looked like death and her wound had grown in size. When she finally heard that Dawson was safe, she collapsed on the floor.

The portrayal of the first (and second) responders was very true. When they get on a scene like that, they don't back down and let nothing stand in their way. It's their job to save lives and they'll put their own on the line to do it. That's why so many lives were lost on 9/11. If they even think they can save a life, they push on.

Boden knew it was a bomb, and tried to warn away a new group of firefighters responding, but they wouldn't back away. When Mills and Cruz found the bomb and the bomb squad was 10 minutes out, Boden went over himself to take care of it. The three of them refused to leave as each took their turns trying to dismantle the timer.

When the Fire Commissioner came on the scene, praising a job well done and telling them to fall back, their weary faces were steadfast and gave the same message -- we're not going anywhere.

That was about the same time Chicago P.D. showed up and discovered the foreign dude who had earlier flashed his gun at Casey to get attention. He was a Syrian diplomatic security detail or something. That didn't impress Voight.

Voight: Hey friends. I'm aware of your sidearms. I have one of my own.Syrian: We're diplomatic protection with a legal right to bear arms in this country.Voight: Not today. I'm going to take your weapons from you. This isn't a question. If you do anything that makes me the least bit uncomfortable, I will end you. Do you understand?

He had been walking around the scene like he owned the place, but couldn't have looked more out of place. Whether it turns out the bombs were meant for the man he was protecting remains to be seen, but using diplomatic immunity and a bad attitude when the country giving you immunity is being terrorized isn't the best laid plan.

We got to see courage under pressure, some pigheadedness and some genuine fear and pain as we set things up to finish out tomorrow night on Chicago P.D. Drop by again to see how it all plays out. You can always catch episodes when you watch Chicago Fire online for more exciting teamwork with Chicago's best!

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Simon•May 08, 2014 01:30

Hey, i just watched episode 21 and Shay is fine, whereas in episode 20 she collapses at the end of the show. Do we find out what happened with her?I was a little frazzled seeing ep 21 with everyone ok and no referral to ep 20 at all,, did anyone else find this odd? Assuming chicago PD covers most of the story?

Yep! That was the idea behind the crossover event. It continued on Chicago P.D. :-)

Simon@ Carissa Pavlica•May 08, 2014 01:58

Awesome! Thanks Carissa!Will have to catch up on PD episodes..

Maddie•May 03, 2014 04:20

Love this show, but won't ever support it or watch it again. I'm a student at Boston University and I was in at the Marathon that day. What most of America forgets is that we endured not only a terrible day, but a devastating, horrifying week. We were on lockdown, people were frightened, and our city was fighting to keep us safe. Those days have impacted everyone in Boston and I believed it impacted everyone in our country until I saw these episodes of Chicago Fire and Chicago PD. After our Senior breakfast, I came home to relax and decided to catch up on these two shows. Instead, I was brought right back to that week in my life that I've fought so hard so move past. This plot wasn't fair to the people of Boston, Massachusetts. If you're going to bomb something, does it really have to be at a marathon/10k??? You couldn't be more original? You had to show the same exact injuries that 264 people endured that day lying on the street and sidewalk JUST as they did that day? I don't respect the decision they made to green light this. It was in horrific taste. I love NBC and will watch other shows, but am boycotting these two for good. Show some damn respect for your own county. (sorry for the rant)

Linda Anderson@ Maddie•September 23, 2014 11:11

I disagree with you completely. Yes, I thought of the tragedy in Boston when I saw this episode on Chicago Fire, but what it did, for me, and many others, was cause us to think of that day in Boston and to remember the victims. I do not agree that showing this episode was in bad taste or disrespectful. It showed us how fast the police and firefighters responded, not caring at all about their own lives in order to save others. I am a Senior too, but your attitude is way off the mark. This show is not disrespectful. It shows life, love, and tragedy the way it is in real life.

James@ Maddie•May 19, 2014 06:04

Ripped from the headlines indeed but I think the shows just want to showcase the fact that in every tragedy there is triumph, brave firefighters, policemen and health workers working hand in hand in saving as much lives as they can in the face of such an unfortunate event. There's nothing to glorify other than showing courage and determination in the protection of life.

I knew the bomb was coming from the previews but I still jumped when it happened. In the case of Burgess' sister not answering her phone, I wonder if she was even able to get through. In a city like Chicago I can imagine that when a tragedy such as that happens it would effect communication. Everyone in that city was probably trying to get a hold of someone. And who knows what the explosion did to service around there. I live in Maryland and when the earthquake happened a few years ago we were without cell service for about an hour after it happened. I did keep waiting for Ruzek to show up and console Burgess though. My only issue with the episode was how long it took for the Chicago PD gang to show up, as well as the absence of Olinsky and Ruzek.

OMG ! I literally was left with my mouth hanging opened when the bomb went off... And to think that 1 minute earlier I was thinking that Casey was oh so not gonna slip and hit his head. SHOCK !The episode was INTENSE !!!! Loved it ! Now, I have never watched Chicago PD but to get closer I will watch the part 2. Sidenote : Hi Jay !Now back to it, when the chief , Mills and Cruz went for that bomb, I could not breathe ! Mills, YOU ARE THE MAN !!! Can someone please remind who Burgess is ?Shay is such a badass but girl, come on ! I was scared for Gaby as well. Casey was sublime. I honestly thought tha the whole scene was brilliant, the way the guys cheered when they found out she was alive, priceless. Gave me goosebumps !Dr Arata is the ish ! that man has no time to waste, I love him !Them security detail ! They were gonna roll over somebody to save that man ? Like REALLY ?What was that with the Fire Commissioner ? Glad they walked away from his stupidity !Now, them little girls ? Wtf ! I hope they're saved. Still remember that kind stuck in the chute !Cannot wait for the 2nd episode !

LOOOL. I just watched the CPD episode !!!! OMG, I NEED to catch up yo ! Severide ?!!!!!! WHEN did this happen !

pattik.•April 30, 2014 18:25

The crossover part 1 was all I expected it to be and am really looking forward to part 2. I was worried one of the main characters was going to die in the blast, and glad that Dawson was okay. Hopefully Shay waiting to help others before herself wasn't a bad , albeit heroic, choice for her to make. Can't wait to see PD mesh with Fire to bring the terrorist to justice. Looking forward to your review of the show tonight, and hope they do more of these in the future.

St.+Louis+Debbie•April 30, 2014 16:21

Great show, love the crossover, again how do you not be able to contact parents or a sister, I thought CPD looked out of place on the scene. Love Herrmann.

I didn't think CPD looked out of place. After all, they're a special unit, not beat cops. I do love Hermann, especially when the woman told him not to joke -- but that's exactly what she needed in that moment to take her mind off of where she was and to calm down.

This was such a great episode!I loved that Kelly went with Casey under the rubble to look for Dawson and for other people. Kelly saying to Casey if we do not find a place to turn around soon that they would have crawl backwards out of there and Casey saying to him something about your are being careful now or whatever it was he said to him was great. Then when they found Dawson and Kelly said she looked awful and then they all laughed was super cute.Herrmann is a good Lieutenant but I prefer Casey. :)From the previews I know that the Syrian's did not set the bomb, it is the blond guy that Casey asked if he was okay as soon as the explosion happened.I am sure Shay will be okay, she will just be in the hospital for awhile.Sadly I do not see either of the little girls making it.Loved seeing Mills disarm the bomb, and him telling the Chief to respectfully shut up was priceless. Mills needed to concentrate and I thought it was cute that Boden had to put his hand over his mouth in order to not say a word. I also like when Boden told Mills and Cruz to leave they both said they were not leaving. Same with at the end when Boden told the Fire Commissioner they were staying when he told the Firehouse to leave as they were the first on scene!Herrmann telling the doctor that he was rescuing to calm down was great too.Carissa: I though it was realty odd that Burgess could not reach her sister or her parents either!I would watch a Chicago Med, and I totally would want to play a nurse or another doctor, they have a pediatric and neuro surgeons and then what ever the head doctor specializes in! So they need other doctors too!

Robyn@ Mrs alex o'loughlin•April 30, 2014 16:20

Actually, I think the second little girl with the brain issue will not make it, leaving her liver available for the first.....

Great episode. Maybe a bit soon for those involved with the Boston marathon (#bostonstrong), but they did it well. Voight and his team seemed very out of place, especially with the FBI, and what I assume is ATF and other 3-digit acronyms, but they have to show him and his team for the cross-over which I hope works well. Burgess's niece, yeah, how do the parents not try to contact her, but never-less, way to tug at our hearts, by making two little girls major victims.

With they types and number of tragedies we have these days, shows just have to be cognizant of how they pay tribute. If we stayed away from all of these types of tragedies, they couldn't even portray them anymore. Sad that our society has come to that, but other countries have it far worse, so I'll be thankful.

Maddie@ Carissa Pavlica•May 03, 2014 04:26

Hi Carissa,I see what you're saying. If we really chose not to portray any realistic events, we'd have nothing left to show on TV. I understand. However, this show aired the same week as the 2014 Boston Marathon, only a few days after the Anniversary of the bombing. Can you understand how it was a little bit too similar to the Boston Marathon situation and so shortly thereafter? They haven't even convicted Dzhokhar yet, it's still so fresh for us here in Boston. Couldn't they have bombed something else just for the sake of proximity to time that the real event happened?

Dr. Arata: Your niece has a crushed liver. If she doesn't have immediate surgery, she's going to bleed out. Do you have the authority to give consent?Burgess: Consent? I don't know...Dr. Arata: That's good enough for me.